7.5X54 FRENCH Ammo

The 7.5x54mm French rifle round was originally adopted for the French infantry to replace the aging 8mm Lebel. The French learned many lessons from World War I, and realized the need to adopt a more modern cartridge. In 1929 the 7.5x54 ammo cartridge was adopted by the French military along with the Mas 36 rifle.

The 7.5 French cartridge served during World War II in various bullet configurations including ball, tracer, and incendiary. The bullet weight varies from 139 grain to 181 grain with velocities generally ranging from 2,700 feet per second to 2,600 feet per second. Although this round is older is design, it does features some impressive ballistics, especially when considering the round is not typically a shoulder bruiser.

The round is capable of being an effective hunting cartridge at intermediate ranges, and is quite capable against medium to medium large North American game. The cartridge is particularly popular with military surplus enthusiasts, but not for the MAS 36 rifle, but for the MAS 49. The Mas 49 is an interesting semi-automatic, post-war rifle. In short, the 7.5mm French cartridge is an excellent cartridge that was an excellent wartime round that often gets overlooked.